Lower Largo FAQs

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Lower Largo FAQs

What is the current status of the bathing water quality at Lower Largo?
Lower Largo Bathing Water was designated in 2022. Water quality in the area is measured against Intestinal Enterococci (IE) and Escherichia Coli (E-coli). Historic results show poor classifications for the years 2022, 2023 and 2024.

What is negatively impacting the water quality at Lower Largo?
Studies have identified the Waste Water Treatment Works as the main contributor to poor sample results. The treatment works near Lower Largo bathing water provide primary treatment and were not originally designed to meet bathing water standards.

What is Scottish Water doing to improve the Bathing Water?

Scottish Water is committed to working with SEPA, Fife Council and the local community to invest in the waste water treatment at Lower Largo and deliver improvements for future generations and the environment.

A significant amount of work needed to consider all possible options and ensure we select the most appropriate solution in terms of treatment technology, cost, carbon and construction impact.

Our focus is on delivering a new treatment solution which involves a non-chemical waste water treatment plant incorporating UV disinfection alongside secondary treatment.

Could Lower Largo lose its Bathing Water designation?
Bathing waters are designated based on sample data for the current year plus previous 3 years. It is a four-year rolling period. Lower Largo may lose its designation if it remains Poor following both the 2025 and 2026 bathing seasons. We are committed to taking all necessary steps to deliver improvements to ensure the community's bathing water remains designated.

What studies have been conducted to understand the water quality issues?
A comprehensive Bathing Water study was conducted, involving site investigation, network hydraulic model update, marine environment investigation and modelling, hydraulic modelling, and water quality calibration. Bathing water samples were taken from June to September 2024 at various beach locations.

What options for improving the water quality have been explored?

A temporary chemical dosing process was explored with the intention of being in place for the beginning of the bathing season in May 2025. This process involved dosing the influent with coagulant (QP33) to settle solids, adding a disinfectant chemical (TT-XN), and pumping the effluent through contact tanks for optimal disinfection before discharge. 

This option has been deemed not viable because the dilution survey conducted in March 2025 showed very low dilution levels at Lower Largo, particularly at low tide. These findings indicated that the temporary dosing process we intended to use would not meet SEPA’s requirements for progressing a licence variation. As a result, we have had to pause further work on the current solution to explore alternative options.

Two variants to chemical dosing which may have delivered reasonable disinfection while maintaining the requirements of the licence variation were investigated but deemed not feasible.

What alternative solutions are being considered?

Our focus is on delivering a new treatment solution which involves a non-chemical waste water treatment plant incorporating UV disinfection alongside secondary treatment.

This treatment works would produce a significantly higher quality effluent than the current Waste Water Treatment Works, and we believe it would offer the best opportunity to deliver the improvements required to improve the water quality to meet the bathing water designation. Due to space constraints at the existing site, the new treatment works would be located at an adjacent location.

A planning application has been submitted to Fife Council in support of this work and we have written to customers in close proximity to the location of the planning application. Full details of the planning application will be posted on the planning portal at Fife Council’s website.

How would an alternative option be powered?
Whether a solution is sited at the existing works or at an off-site location, generator/s would be required in the short term as there is no power currently installed at site or off-site. Our intention would be to install power should this be confirmed feasible by the electricity provider and approved via planning application. Designing/approving and installing new power can take a significant period of time so in order to implement a solution as fast as possible, generator/s would be required.

When will Scottish Water have a clear timeline for the new solution?
We aim to identify and agree on a feasible alternative solution as quickly as possible. Once this is done, we will provide an updated timeline for the project and ensure it is communicated clearly to the community.

How will the community be kept informed about progress?

We are committed to maintaining clear and open communication with the community. Once further progress is made on planning and land matters, we will write to customers and host an Information Event in the local community so people can view the proposed solution in greater detail, meeting our team and ask any questions they have.